Ahead of the Mid Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook, minister for defence industries Christopher Pyne said a lot of jobs were created in 2016 and Australia has the highest growth rate in the G7. Is that true?

The world economy is inextricably linked with the US.
Tami Chappell/ReutersDecember 18, 2016

Too often the government's economic plans have relied on overly optimistic expectations of future growth.

Australian aid can make a difference to the lives of millions – but there are few votes and little media interest in it, so it’s an easy target for budget cuts.
John Bransby/Department of Foreign AffairsMay 11, 2015

Wayne Swan couldn’t do it. Joe Hockey has tried and failed. Getting the budget back in black is proving to be mission impossible. But it could be a whole lot worse. The Commonwealth Government’s bottom…

In April, Treasurer Joe Hockey set the tone for his economics policies in a speech in New York on what he referred to as ending the “entitlement culture”. Hockey, who had given a defining speech in 2012…

The missing element in this week’s mid-year economic and fiscal outlook, and more broadly, in current government policy, stares Australians in the face. Revenue needs to be increased. Increasing taxes…

A$1.8 billion is no longer available to help populations in our neighbouring countries achieve a decent standard of health.
Gates Foundation/FlickrDecember 18, 2014

The federal government’s Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook announcement this week to cut the foreign aid budget by a further A$3.7 billion over three years is unprecedented. The current government has…